Departures
by Aizaki
Summary: Sometimes what you think you want isn't really what you want at all... Rin's an uninspired artist, living in a past that's destroying her own life and reputation. She's use to being alone, and seems to prefer it that way, but one day, when her past comes back to face her head-on, she's left to question everything she's worked for...


A/N: So guys, this is actually a re-write of one of my older stories which was also called 'Departures', in case you didn't realize, I had deleted the story entirely since it was just written so...ugh...

Anyway, I like this better, and I actually feel like I can possibly finish this- also, this is one of the longest intros I've done in a LONG time for a to-be chaptered story, so that should say something to you all right there... Anywho, hope you guys enjoy this rewrite, and if you do, please leave a review and/or a fave/follow, it's always appreciated! Thanks!

-Depatures-

He was right behind her.

Not directly, and probably not close, but she could feel him, hear him; she could smell his light cologne through the foggy, damp air. Then suddenly she was at the ocean, watching the sunrise- or is it the sunset? She never can seem to tell.

His arm was around her shoulder, pulling her body closer to him with his misty blue eyes focused out on the horizon- out over the dark water- and she could feel the uncomfortableness that comes only when salt water and sand are drying on the pores of your skin and scratching you as you move.

But there's something else...

Before she could even register what she was doing, she pulled away and stood up, shivering as his heat left her- _it's that dream again..._

Her mouth moved slowly and she could hear the words- foreign and strange on her tongue- supposedly coming from her mouth. "I know what you're doing, and I can't keep going on like this."

His face says everything he won't- everything he _can't_.

And still her subconscious plowed right on, "I can't stay with you forever, I have college-"

He opened his mouth to say something as he got to his feet,

"Yes, I applied and was accepted- despite what you told me." She's screaming at her body to turn and run, because she knows exactly what he'll manage to say next- knows exactly how far this'll put her behind for months to come.

"Well then I guess this is it, huh? You, throwing me away for your work..."

She's tried to cover her ears, to hunker down into a fetal position as the wind began to whip off the ocean, tearing her loosely tied dark colored sarong he'd brought her from a trip away from her waist and throwing it into the air.

_"Goodbye." _She felt her body begin to fall back, but instead of feeling the cold sand on her back, she felt the cold air whipping her skin as she fell back- her mouth opening and her voice trying to desperately cry out, begging to be heard.

_But he's gone...like he always is._

She jolted awake, sitting straight up in her bed and breathing hard- her throat hurts, and she's fairly sure she had been screaming again. Slowly, she ran a hand through her blonde, sweat matted hair and let out a deep, slow breath.

You would think after having the same dream on and off for eight years, she'd be more adept to dealing with its aftermath.

Her blue eyes scanned the dark enclosed room before looking to her clock on her bedside table and her hand reached to flick on her lamp. As she reached over various glasses and trinkets, the phone from her kitchen rang through the silence, surprising her enough to- when she pulled her hand back- knock one of her old, metal frames off onto the trodden down carpet.

Cursing under her breath, she shoved her large, grey and white comforter off her hot legs and forced her body up off the bed; slowly, she stands and picks up the frame, grumbling under her breath about needing to clean before she looks at the picture.

There was the beach...the sun and waves in the background...

_Him_

_He smelled like the ocean._ For a moment, she pauses, hesitating, before straightening herself and hurring out of the room.

The frame was always meant to be down anyway...

As she practically stumbled into the darkened kitchen, grabbed the phone off the receiver and spoke into it, she began the tedious task of starting to desperately rub the sleep and awful dream out of her eyes and mind.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Rin, I was just wondering where you are...it's already five and we were kinda supposed to open the studio up an hour ago to get ready...and, uh, you have the key so.."

She quickly raised her head to look at the clock on her microwave, her eyes widening as she saw the green LED lights flash '5:16' at her. She turned on her heel and ran back into her room to frantically begin her search through her laundry pile and drawers "Oh my god, I'm sorry, it just...ugh, long night. I'm heading out right now- I'll be there in a minute, okay?"

Damnit, where in the hell did all of her shirts disappear to?!

"You know we-"

"Yes, yes, I know, I'm heading out the door now, so I'll talk to you when I get there, okay, bye." The frantic blonde ended the call and tossed the phone onto her bed before exchanging her slouchy, torn up pants for jeans and her old tee-shirt- under the socks, she should've known- for another one that at least smelled somewhat cleaner. As she hurried towards the door, she raked her fingers through her hair, discarding the strands that separate from her head onto the floor while she tried to pull it up into a high, out of her face ponytail while sliding her feet into a pair of ballet flats, ignoring the fact that their soles were coming off.

She ran back to the kitchen, grabbed her cellphone and collection of mismatched, out of order keys and raced out the door, hoping she could catch the train before rush hour officially hit...

XxXxXxX

When she finally arrived, Rin found her co-worker tapping her foot and pacing back and fourth on the sidewalk with two now empty cups of coffee in her hands, and it's already six by the time they ran up the three flights of stairs in the building and unlocked the cold studio's door.

"We have, like, five minutes before she gets here and chops us, you know that right?" The younger girl snapped, blowing her brunette bangs out of her eyes and fiddling with her black scarf as she quickly stepped to her station by the window and Rin flicked on the overhead lights and kicked at the radiator just next to the light switch.

"Hey, not my fault, Minako." Unceremoniously, the blonde dropped her body into her chair at the far end of the studio, closest to the brick wall and her back facing away from everyone else just as the radiator gurgled to life and began emanating heat throughout the studio.

But Rin, like always, would receive its warmth last...served her right for choosing the corner.

"Did you have-" She questioned as she flipped on her desk lamp and began to pull out her laptop and various cameras from her multitude of bags she always seemed to have nearby.

"Yeah."

There's silence after that, and when Rin glanced up, she could see the girl pursing her lips- trying to think of something to say, no doubt. She seems almost relieved as the blonde quickly says, "Nothing to worry about though, I'm used to it by now." The lie is sour like a lemon in her mouth and she could feel her nose crinkling in disgust- thankfully the other didn't notice.

"Good...now do you have those outfits and palettes ready to go? I have to set up the backgrounds sometime before they get here.."

"Mhm, I'll just mail them over once I finish this one, alright?" This time she had to cough and clear her throat to rid her mouth of the bitter taste.

It was only another minute before their employer walked in and began barking orders, tossing her faux blonde hair about as she whipped her head around to stare them both down from behind her large, Ray-Ban sunglasses. "Now girls, even if this is just for a wedding, I want this entire thing to be perfect, understand? These people are paying for both of your wages this week, and if they aren't happy with what you two do..." Her shrill voice implied everything they didn't want to hear about and she smiled at the sullen faces they both seemed to be wearing, "Good girls, now we have an hour, get cracking."

"Yes ma'am."

Being in a business like this really wasn't great when you simply couldn't find inspiration...

So, instead, Rin vouched to send a group of old designs she hadn't seen in a while and, with Minako quickly typing away on her Mac while trying to adjust and clean her lenses, the uninspired blonde drew out her pencil and a small piece of parchment paper to try and draw something...

Anything was better than nothing, wasn't it?

As soon as the lead hit the paper, she tried so desperately to think of what to draw, to think of what she wanted to see arise on the surface. She threw the paper into the wastebasket after just a minute and ripped out another sheet, only to angrily tap at its surface with her pencil's eraser.

_Let it flow from the pencil...don't think.._

At first, she started with gently, sloping curves- god knows how long it had been since she drew someone other than a girl with a double zero waist- and she sighed softly, only pausing from her dazed like state in order to brush her bangs from her face. It was going well, the detail of the bones that were now showing on the face, the piercingly gorgeous eyes that she somehow managed to procure.

This was different than her usual style...

And then she pulled back, snorted in annoyance, and crumpled the entire paper into a ball before yanking out another sheet and starting over.

Why, after nine years of them being separated was he popping up just now? Maybe her conscious knew what was going on, or maybe it was simply how the cards were dealt...

Minutes turn into hours, and by now there was a good collection of paper spilling over the wastebasket and around the blonde's torn up, dingy flats. Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she dropped her pencil onto the desk and leaned back, sighing in frustration just as she heard a buzz and crackle from the phone on her desk accompanied by the lobby woman's voice.

"You're eight o'clock appointments here, is it alright if they come up?"

One of her delicate fingers wnt to hold down the reply button as she tried to force the irritation out of her voice, "Of course, the door's open." Then with a flick of the same finger, she cut off the call and leaned back in the stiff chair yet again, listening to the clicking of heels running up the steps- probably the bride and her friends.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as they trampled in over top of each other and Minako managed to corral them to one of the photo rooms, dragging her cameras and laptop with her of course. But then she noticed that one has stayed back and Rin turned to her, beginning to open her mouth and encourage the probably shy bridesmaid to go on and file in after her group.

Her voice caught in her throat and she let out some sort of stammering, choking noise just as the male's turned towards her in return and raised an eyebrow at her sounds.

_He still smells like the ocean..._

"L-Len..?"

He looked taken aback at first and then, ever so slowly, a smile pulled at his lips and he raked a hand through his still scraggily mess of blonde hair, "So I guess goodbyes really are temporary, aren't they, _Rin_?"

**To be continued...**


End file.
